A hole plug for closing an opening in a panel member comprises a rigid, disk-like main body for positioning in overlying relationship with the opening. Resilient retaining legs are carried by the main body for extending through the opening and engaging the edges thereof for maintaining the main body in the overlying relationship. A mass of heat expandable resilient material is carried by the main body at a location adjacent the retaining legs. The heat expandable resilient material is selected so as to be capable of being expanded through the application of heat to permanently extend from the main body a distance greater than the legs to thereby act as a shield to prevent undesired contact between the legs and associated structure.

Patent
   5505324
Priority
May 26 1995
Filed
May 26 1995
Issued
Apr 09 1996
Expiry
May 26 2015
Assg.orig
Entity
Large
21
11
all paid
1. A hole plug for closing an opening in a vehicle body member comprising:
a main body for positioning in overlying relationship with a said opening;
resilient retaining legs carried by the main body for extending through the said opening and engaging the sides of the opening for maintaining the main body in said overlying relationship, said legs extending a maximum distance d from the main body; and,
a mass of heat expandable resilient material carried by the main body at a location adjacent the retaining legs, the heat expandable resilient material being capable of being expanded through the application of heat to permanently extend from the main body a distance greater than d.
8. A hole plug for insertion in an opening in a panel for closing the opening, the plug comprising:
a rigid main body having first and second oppositely facing surfaces meeting at a peripheral edge surface;
a plurality of retaining legs extending from the second surface of the main body at spaced locations adjacent the peripheral edge surface;
at least one mass of heat expandable resilient material carried on the second surface and capable of being permanently expanded by being raised to a predetermined temperature, the mass of heat expandable resilient material having a size and shape selected such that after expansion it extends outwardly from the second surface a distance greater than the retaining legs to thereby reduce the likelihood of contact between the legs and any adjacent structure.
2. The hole plug as defined in claim 1 wherein the main body has an outer periphery and the resilient retaining legs are located adjacent the outer periphery.
3. The hole plug as defined in claim 2 wherein the retaining legs are spaced relatively uniformly about the outer periphery of the main body.
4. The hole plug as defined in claim 2 wherein there is a single mass of the heat expandable resilient material located generally centrally of the retaining legs.
5. The hole plug as defined in claim 4 wherein the mass of heat expandable resilient material extends from the body a distance no greater than d until after it has been heat expanded.
6. The hole plug as defined in claim 1 including a resilient sealer gasket carried on the main body.
7. The hole plug as defined in claim 6 wherein the sealer gasket is formed from a heat responsive plastic that flows and adhesively bonds the plug in position when heated to a predetermined temperature level.
9. A hole plug as defined in claim 8 wherein at least one of the legs is resilient and capable of deflecting in directions generally parallel to the second surface.
10. A hole plug as defined in claim 8 including a resilient sealer gasket joined to the main body for sealing about the peripheral edge surface.
11. A hole plug as defined in claim 10 wherein the resilient sealer gasket is joined to the first surface of the main body.
12. A hole plug as defined in claim 10 wherein the resilient sealer gasket extends outwardly of the first surface beyond the peripheral edge surface.
13. A hole plus as defined in claim 10 wherein the resilient sealer gasket is formed from a heat responsive plastic that flows and adheres to the main body when heated to a predetermined temperature.
14. A hole plug as defined in claim 8 wherein the main body has a dished center portion extending in the direction of said legs.
15. A hole plug as defined in claim 14 wherein each said retaining leg includes a plurality of retaining tabs located at different distances from the second surface.
16. A hole plug as defined in claim 14 wherein the mass of heat expandable resilient material is carried on the dished center portion.

The subject invention is directed toward the art of hole plugs or closures and, more particularly, to a plug especially intended for use in closing a hole in a vehicle body panel.

During the manufacture of vehicle bodies, holes are provided at various locations in panels and structural members to allow excess paint or coatings to drain therefrom. The holes are normally filled with suitable plugs after the painting operation and prior to passage of the bodies through the curing ovens.

Many different hole plugs are known in the prior art. The plugs typically comprise a disk-like main body provided with retaining elements that extend through the hole being sealed to hold the plug in position.

The subject invention provides an improved plug design that protects surrounding structure, as well as personnel, from undesired contact with the retaining elements.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a hole plug which is particularly intended for use in closing an opening in a vehicle body or panel member. The hole plug generally comprises a disk-like main body for positioning in overlying relationship with the opening to be closed. Resilient retaining legs are carried from the main body to extend through the opening and engage the sides of the opening for maintaining the main body in the overlying relationship. The legs extend from the main body a maximum distance D. Also carried by the main body at a location adjacent the retaining legs is a mass of heat expandable resilient material. The heat expandable resilient material is capable of being expanded through the application of heat to permanently extend from the main body a distance greater than D.

The heat expandable mass of material is normally activated by passage of the vehicle body through the paint curing oven. When activated to its expanded condition, the mass of resilient material extends outwardly to a position wherein inadvertent and undesired contact with the retaining legs is greatly reduced. This is an advantage not only in preventing contact by personnel, but also in preventing engagement of the ends of the legs with associated vehicle structure.

Preferably, and in accordance with a more limited aspect of the invention, there is a resilient heat activated sealer gasket carried on the main body. The gasket is arranged so as to be caused to flow at approximately the same temperature as required to produce expansion of the heat expandable mass.

In order to reduce the amount of expandable material required, it is preferably that the center of the main body of the plug be dished in the direction of the retaining legs and that the mass of heat expandable material be carried on the dished portion.

The versatility of the plug can be increased by providing the retaining legs with a plurality of retaining tabs located at different distances from the main body so that the plugs can be used in openings having a surrounding collar portion as well as openings formed in flat sheet material without a collar.

As can be seen from the foregoing, a primary object of the invention is the provision of a hole plug device wherein resilient material is positioned so as to prevent engagement between the hole plugs retaining legs and associated structures of the vehicle.

Yet another object is the provision of a hole plug of the general type described which is versatile and capable of being used in a variety of different hole arrangements.

Still other advantages and benefits of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading and understanding of the following detailed description.

The invention may take physical form in certain parts and arrangements of parts, a preferred embodiment of which will be described in detail in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a preferred form of a hole plug formed in accordance with the subject invention (a portion of the seal structure has been cut away to show details of construction more clearly);

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, partially in cross section, of the plug of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view showing the plug of FIG. 1 inserted in a panel opening but prior to passage through a paint curing oven;

FIG. 4 is a view like FIG. 3 but showing the plug after passage through the paint curing oven; and,

FIG. 5 is a view like FIG. 3 but showing the plug mounted in a collared opening.

Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for the purposes of illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention only and not for purposes of limiting same, FIGS. 1 through 3 show the overall arrangement of the hole plug 10 as comprising a generally circular, disk-like main body 12 carrying retaining legs 14 extending therefrom. In the subject embodiment, the main body 12 is stamped from a relatively rigid sheet metal such as steel and has a first or top surface 16 and a second or bottom surface 18. The opposed surfaces 16 and 18 are joined by a peripheral edge 20 which is sized and shaped so as to extend radially outward to a position beyond the peripheral edge of the opening to be closed.

The number and positioning of the retaining legs could vary widely but the subject embodiment includes four retaining legs 14 which are spaced relatively uniformly about the main body. As can be appreciated, and as best seen in FIG. 3, the legs are located so as to be capable of engaging about the interior of the opening which the plug is intended to close. As shown in FIG. 3, a panel member 22 is provided with a circular opening 24. The legs 14 of this embodiment are thus located to engage with the peripheral edge of the opening 24.

In the preferred embodiment, the legs 14 are formed integrally with the main body 16 and extend nearly perpendicularly from the face 18. Additionally, it is preferably if each of the legs 14 be formed to have lateral resiliency to enable them to resiliently engage the edge of the opening 24. The lower ends of the leg are preferably bent slightly inwardly in a radial direction toward the center axis so as to allow them to engage the edge of the opening and deflect radially inward during insertion into the opening 24. It should be noted that each of the legs include angled retaining tabs 28. The tabs 28 are preferably stamped from the main body of the legs and deflected outwardly to the position shown. In the preferred form, there are two tabs 28 on each leg 14 with the tabs located at different distances from the second surface 18. This allows the plug to be used in a thin panel opening such as shown in FIG. 3 or a collared opening as shown in FIG. 5. Note that the first retaining tab 28 having its position closest to the surface 18 can adequately engage under a thin non-collared opening as that shown in FIG. 3. Alternatively, the tabs located at the greatest distance from the surface 18 can be positioned to engage about the end of the collar 22' as shown in FIG. 5. Other tab arrangements could be provided to allow engagement in panels of different thicknesses or having different collar arrangements.

It should be noted that the main body 12 is preferably provided with a circular, dished center portion 30 which is somewhat cup-like and extends downwardly relative to the lower surface 18. Also, it is preferred that the main body be deflected upwardly in narrow bands 32 aligned with legs 14 and extending between the dished center portion 30 and the base of legs 14. This acts to provide additional rigidity to the main body.

Carried on the upper or first surface 16 of the main body 12 is an annular disk 34 of a sealant material that has the property of flowing when heated to a predetermined temperature. Many different types of sealant materials can be used for this purpose and suitable materials are well known in the art. For example, an EVA material (ethylene vinyl acetate) can be compounded to flow at a variety of temperatures. Further, for example, the normal temperature in a paint curing oven is somewhere in the range of from 140° to 170°C and a suitable flow point for the EVA material can be from 100° to 135°C Many other materials could be used as the sealant, for example, soft polyethylene. If desired, thermosetting materials could be used. Other materials provided with a blowing agent could also be used as the sealant. In any event, such materials are well known and widely used in the art, and whatever the material used, it should be selected such that when it is heated to the predetermined temperature level, it will flow and adhere to the surrounding panel as shown in FIG. 4 to provide a tight seal between the plug and the panel.

Of particular importance to the subject invention is the provision of a mass of heat expandable resilient material located on the second or underside surface of the main body 12. As illustrated, a mass 38 is heat staked or otherwise firmly bonded to the bottom of the dished center portion 30 at a location intermediate the legs 14. The mass of material is sized and arranged so that when expanded, it extends outwardly as shown in FIG. 4 to a location beyond the ends of the legs 14. Here again, many different materials could be used for the mass 38. Suitable materials are extensively described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,391,384 and include thermoplastic elastomers such as ethylene-propylene copolymers, polyethylene, ethylene copolymers, terpolymers and ionomers, polyvinyl chloride polymers, and styrene butadiene block copolymers. The materials are filled with chemical blowing agent or physical foaming agent so that when subject to the predetermined temperature, as discussed earlier, they will undergo considerable permanent volumetric expansion. In any event, the material should be capable of relatively large volumetric expansion when heated to a temperature in a range significantly above normal ambient temperatures but below the minimum temperatures experienced in a paint curing oven. The actual quantity and arrangement of the material required could, of course, be varied significantly, but should be selected such that when expansion takes place, the material is expanded sufficiently to move outwardly to a location wherein contact with the legs 14 is generally prevented. Additionally, however, in the unexpanded condition, it is preferable that the mass of material not extend beyond the maximum extent of the legs so that space required for storing the unused plugs is kept to a minimum. In order to reduce the amount of material required, the use of the depressed center portion 30 on the main body 12 is preferred.

The invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon a reading and understanding of this specification. It is intended to include all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

Danico, Henry F.

Patent Priority Assignee Title
10974665, Apr 05 2016 ElringKlinger AG Securing device for a decoupling device on a shielding part, decoupling device having the securing device, and shielding part having the decoupling device
11001312, Dec 01 2016 Illinois Tool Works Inc. Adaptable sealing hole plug
11773975, Dec 12 2019 Illinois Tool Works Inc. Sealing plug
5702133, Mar 18 1996 FCA US LLC Universal snap-in metal plug
6378254, Jun 12 2000 Morzen Artistic Aluminum Ltd. Non-leaking window frame structure
6390042, May 05 2000 Delphi Technologies, Inc Self-sealing releasable and reusable plug
6691468, Nov 19 2001 Sika Automotive Orifice sealing physical barrier
6708979, Nov 19 2001 Sika Automotive Orifice sealing physical barrier
6786521, May 01 2002 Composite plug with mesh substrate for use during vehicle manufacture and method of manufacturing the same
6886712, Sep 20 2001 A. Raymond & Cie Sealing cover for a processing hole in aluminum sheet metal
7010885, Nov 19 2001 Sika Corporation Orifice sealing physical barrier
7048486, Jul 10 2002 Newfrey LLC Insert part for a wall opening, in particular on a vehicle body
7455192, Nov 03 2004 Illinois Tool Works Inc. Overmolded adhesive hole plug
7559717, Jun 12 2007 Subterranean conduit cover
7922033, Jan 05 2006 MACLEAN POWER, L L C Universal lid for underground access boxes
8361418, Jan 24 2006 Labcyte Inc. Method for storing fluid with closure including members with changeable relative positions and device thereof
8672178, Apr 20 2010 Illinois Tool Works Inc. Hole plug assembly
9045932, Apr 05 2012 ALLIED MOULDED PRODUCTS, INC Hole seal
9120509, Apr 22 2013 DAIWA KASEI INDUSTRY CO., LTD. Hole plug
9296467, Jun 09 2009 The Boeing Company Pressure test door for use with a fuel tank
9409604, Dec 04 2014 FCA US LLC Push plug with passive seating feature and installation method
Patent Priority Assignee Title
1753631,
3944107, Jan 17 1974 TRW Inc. Closure fastening means
3990604, Nov 14 1973 TRW Inc. Plug or closure
4094436, Jan 22 1975 TRW Inc. Aperture plug
4290536, Mar 28 1979 ITW De France Closure for sealing openings in panels
4363420, Jan 30 1981 TRW Inc Aperture plugs
4391384, Dec 14 1981 DEXTER CORPORATION, THE, ONE ELM ST , WINDSOR LOCKS, CT 06096 A CORP OF CT Automobile body panel hole closure
4560083, Jan 16 1984 TRW Inc. Closure and method for an aperture
5224624, Jun 08 1990 TRW UNITED CARR GMBH & CO KG A CORP OF FED REP OF GERMANY Plastic locking cover and process for attaching same in a support aperture
5267667, Oct 04 1991 ITW De France Plug adapted to be fixed by means of hot melt adhesive into an opening in a plate such as an automobile body
GB734857,
//////////
Executed onAssignorAssigneeConveyanceFrameReelDoc
May 24 1995DANICO, HENRY F TRW IncASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS 0075780926 pdf
May 26 1995TRW, Inc.(assignment on the face of the patent)
Feb 28 2003TRW AUTOMOTIVE U S LLCJPMorgan Chase BankTHE US GUARANTEE AND COLLATERAL AGREEMENT0140220720 pdf
Sep 28 2012Kelsey-Hayes CompanyJPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N A , AS COLLATERAL AGENTSECURITY AGREEMENT0295290534 pdf
Sep 28 2012TRW AUTOMOTIVE U S LLCJPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N A , AS COLLATERAL AGENTSECURITY AGREEMENT0295290534 pdf
Sep 28 2012TRW Vehicle Safety Systems IncJPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N A , AS COLLATERAL AGENTSECURITY AGREEMENT0295290534 pdf
Oct 28 2013JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N A TRW AUTOMOTIVE U S LLCRELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST0316450697 pdf
Oct 28 2013JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N A Kelsey-Hayes CompanyRELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST0316450697 pdf
Oct 28 2013JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N A TRW INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORP RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST0316450697 pdf
Oct 28 2013JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N A TRW Vehicle Safety Systems IncRELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST0316450697 pdf
Date Maintenance Fee Events
Oct 04 1999M183: Payment of Maintenance Fee, 4th Year, Large Entity.
Sep 26 2003M1552: Payment of Maintenance Fee, 8th Year, Large Entity.
Sep 14 2007M1553: Payment of Maintenance Fee, 12th Year, Large Entity.


Date Maintenance Schedule
Apr 09 19994 years fee payment window open
Oct 09 19996 months grace period start (w surcharge)
Apr 09 2000patent expiry (for year 4)
Apr 09 20022 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 4)
Apr 09 20038 years fee payment window open
Oct 09 20036 months grace period start (w surcharge)
Apr 09 2004patent expiry (for year 8)
Apr 09 20062 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 8)
Apr 09 200712 years fee payment window open
Oct 09 20076 months grace period start (w surcharge)
Apr 09 2008patent expiry (for year 12)
Apr 09 20102 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 12)